Publica et communis oratio populi dei. Aantekeningen bij het subject van het Getijdengebed

Samenvatting

The present paper offers a critical view of the organisation and structure of the Liturgia horarum, which was published in the Dutch speaking regions (The Netherlands and Flanders) in 1990. This publication went together with a number of articles and pamphlets giving explanation and comment on this great project of praying. In particular the attention was drawn to the ecclesiastic or communal character of the Liturgia horarum: "publica et communis oratio populi Dei". The participation of the faithful was highly recommended and put forward as an ideal. These publications are dealt with in part I. The question is raised whether the L.H. is divised in such a way that it is in harmony with the intended group of prayers. Who are they? In order to answer this question A. Bugnini’s report in part II is examined as to the facts about the subject of the L.H. It is concluded that in preparing and compiling the L.H. consideration was shown, to a certain extent, for pastores; however, the participation of the people of God was discussed, but further decisions and arrangements have not been made. Hence the question if the ardent desire might be a pious wish in the future. This largely depends on the structural quality of the L.H. This structural quality is tested in part III by means of four symbolic-structural components which fundamentally determine the liturgy: 1. the cyclic structure on the basis of cosmos and delimitation as to time, 2. the rhythmic structure on the basis of the finiteness and the process of live, 3. The spiritual-idealistic structure on the basis of fundamental, spiritual orientations, 4. the incidental-thematic structure on the basis of the factuality of existence. The L.H. appears, to a large extent, to be cyclically determined and, in a general sense, spiritual-idealistically. The other two structures, which in the practice of the liturgy reasonably hold their own, are hardly demonstrable in the L.H. The anthropological foundation of the L.H. is narrow and inadequate. Hence the prognosis in part IV that the high objective on the introduction, viz. the participation of the people in the L.H., as it is organised and programmed now, is not likely to be achieved in the future. In due course this hypothesis will have to be tested by means of evaluating research. This paper implies a plea for a further study on the motivation of praying with prospective participants, and on a fundamental restructuring of the L.H. which aims at them. (transl.: F. van Dinter and B. Groen)